Armour Villa annual Picnic

36 Pages·2017·3.07 MB·English

by  Katherine Sutton

™
Newsletter of The Armour Villa Neighborhood Association www.armourvilla.org May/June 2018
Armour Villa
annual Picnic
Saturday, June 9th
5 to 9 pm
Chatfield Road
$20 members ● $25 non-members ● Kids under 12 eat free!
All of the food will be provided: burgers, hot dogs,
pizza, chicken, side dishes, desserts and drinks.

► You must pre-order tickets online through
www.armourvilla.org.
Letter from the President
Steve Wagner
Our recent Armour Villa Pre-Spring Fling was a great success and a good time was had by all. Thanks to everyone
who helped make it happen, in particular to our host and good friends at Houlihan and O’Malley Real Estate and
everyone on the staff at the Quarry Restaurant who kept us all well lubricated and sated with a variety of great eats.
Thanks also to our Mayor Mike Spano, Senator Shelley Mayer, and Westchester County Executive George
Latimer, and other guests who took time out of their busy schedules to stop by and socialize with our members.
This event is just one of the activities that the Armour Villa Association puts on for your benefit, all of which take a
lot of effort and money.
► Therefore, pursuant to a motion at our board of directors meeting in November that was
subsequently ratified by our members at our annual membership meeting in January, we are
increasing annual dues from $35 to $50 per household. Everyone’s dues will now be payable at the
same time—on June 1st of each calendar year. This will make it much easier for you to keep track of
when your dues are up for renewal and keep us from failing to remind folks when their year is up.
Going forward, dues must be paid by everybody on June 1st and no later than June 30th. This will
allow most people to continue their tradition of renewing at the picnic every spring. To those of you
who have already renewed your membership this year prior to the picnic, your membership dues will
be prorated to cover the difference between the old rate of $35 and the new rate of $50. Any of our
members who contributed at the “Friends” level or above, your account will be credited against the
new membership dues and you will not be required to make an additional payment. Also, we will no
longer take cash for dues payments as we want to make sure we have a solid record of payment to
avoid any confusion between event admission fees and dues renewal payments.
Finally, it is worth noting that the Armour Villa budget we presented at our annual meeting showed that our prior
dues level of $35 typically raises a relatively small amount of our total operating expenses. The Villa Voice and
related website production alone cost us close to $12,000 each year. This is why we depend on advertisers and
sponsors to fund the bulk of our operations. This outside funding naturally fluctuates from year to year so we can
never take it for granted. We also expend extra funds to host seminars on important topics like our recent meeting
with Zoning Board Chairman Joseph Cianciulli on April 19th, and an upcoming special presentation on Aging,
Dementia and Alzheimers with noted expert Kerry Mills on Saturday, morning June 2nd (details are on the Armour
Villa website). These kind of events keep you, our members, informed and educated on issues that affect your
property values and your quality of life. We hope we can continue to count on your membership and financial
support of our Association as well as your continued engagement in making Armour Villa a very special place to
live and raise your family.
Steve
NEW AD!
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Back by popular demand!
Armour Villa
Garden Tour
Small plots with Big ideas

Stroll through 12 Armour Villa gardens on a Sunday afternoon
to see how some of your neighbors have created a
little oasis on less than a 1/4 acre of land.
Get inspired by their homegrown flower and vegetable gardens,
container plants, ponds, patios and landscaping. Enjoy free giveaways!
You will be given a map of the garden locations so you can start
at any house you wish and take the tour at your own pace.

June 24th ● 1:00 to 4:00 pm
(rain or shine)

$10/person (all proceeds go to the DiChiaro PTA) Kids are free

► Be sure to wear sneakers or “sensible shoes”
as some terrains can be rustic.
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by Steve Wagner

On Thursday, April 19th, Armour Villa members were
treated to a very informative presentation by the long-
serving chairman of the Yonkers Zoning Appeals Board,
Mr. Joseph Cianculli. He was accompanied by one of
Zoning Meeting the Zoning Board’s other members, Nancy Little, an
Armour Villa resident and former president of the
Armour Villa Neighborhood Association.
Mr. Ciancuilli gave everyone a primer on how the zoning process works in Yonkers, and why
and how cases are brought before the appeals board. He also spoke about the process a petitioner
should go through to be properly represented and prepared to make their case before the board. Mr.
Cianciulli runs a very tight ship, as many of those who have appeared before him have learned. During
the remarks, both Mr. Cianculli and Nancy Little reminded us that they are here to help homeowners
work through the issues while at the same time making sure the Yonkers codes are enforced. The
Zoning Board works closely with the Buildings Department and other arms of government to coordinate
actions so the process is more efficient and fair to all involved.
Mr. Cianciulli can be very tough if you come before him acting unprepared, non-professional or
distracted. He explained that it makes good sense to follow building code guidelines from the beginning
of the process instead of trying to beat the system. His perspective is that folks who try to cut corners
or work without permits often overshoot the mark and end up before the board trying to legalize an
illegal project. Filing correctly with the proper sign-offs reduces cost and aggravation.
At the end of the meeting there was a lively Q & A with Mr. Cianculli and Nancy Little. A range
of topics was covered including the shortage of building inspectors, a problem that slows down the
construction process and discourages many contractors from working in Yonkers. This year will mark
50 years that Mr. Cianciulli has been with the Zoning Appeals Board and he shows no signs of slowing
down. Stay tuned for the next chapter in this dynamic leader’s life. We are grateful to him for taking the
time to meet with us.
Join, Renew or donate!
Membersh ip Form

Name Date

Address

Telephone e-mail address

Please check:

Basic Membership - $50
Supporter - $75
Friends of Armour Villa - $100
Conservators - $250
Architects - $500
Master Builders - $750 (Includes Lifetime Association membership)

Enclosed is my payment for . This is for:  NEW DUES  RENEWAL DUES  SPECIAL 2018 DONATION.
  

Make check payable to “Armour Villa” and remit to: Steve Wagner, 14 Gard Avenue, Bronxville, NY 10708

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oorr ““DDuueess aanndd EEvveennttss”” ((iiff rreenneewwiinngg oorr ddoonnaattiinngg))

aatt wwwwww..aarrmmoouurrvviillllaa..oorrgg.. SSiiggnn iinn aass aa ““GGUUEESSTT..””
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Heads Up! use these summer months to get ready
for another fall event you’ve been begging for:
A Neighborhood-wide
TAG
SALE!!

Saturday, September 15th
All Armour Villa households are welcome to participate!
Admission will be (as before) $10.
You will receive fliers, maps, advertising,
and many eager shoppers.
Take this summer to clean out those attics,
basements, garages…and get rid of your stuff!

To sign up, contact either:
● BILL REINKING at [email protected]
● TONI DERESKA at [email protected]
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Platinum Sponsor
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Snapshots

Armour Villa’s
Pre-Spring Fling!

Photos by Kathleen Donaghy, Beall Circle
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Thank you for
hosting our special
event! The open bar
and plentiful hors
d’oeuvres were
terrific!
The Quarry Restaurant

106 Main Street
Tuckahoe Dominic Cesarini
Proprietor
[phone]
www.thequarryoftuckahoe.com

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Teen Helpers
These 16 Armour Villa kids are available all year ‘round to help you out.
Post these pages on your bulletin board or fridge for easy reference!
(If they shovel snow, look for the little shovel icon.)
Noel Linehan, 12
Parkview Avenue Patrick Carey, 13
[phone] Barrington Road
[phone]
Noel is interested in taking

care of your plants, raking Patrick is available to do yard
leaves, walking dogs and pet work, shovel snow, walk dogs,
sitting. She will even wash NEW! run errands, water plants,
windows, paint fences, mow lawns, and take in mail, etc.
do garden work, and tutor.
Brendan Heaney, 13
Hannah Chatfield Road
[phone]
Baumann, 18

Gard Avenue Brendan says: “I am available to
[phone] (cell) take care of your cat and home while
you are away. I can also pick up mail
[phone] (home)
and water your plants or yard. I have

Hannah is very interested in taking care Aileen Byrne, 13 very good references.”
of cats and dogs as well as collecting Bronxville Road
your mail and watering plants while you
[phone]
are away (she has already provided this

service for other neighbors). She will Aileen is specifically looking
also babysit, help you out at home, and to be a mother's helper. She Sarah Galligan, 16
run Bronxville errands for you. is Red Cross certified and
Chatfield Road
has experience with 3 to 6
[phone]
year olds.

Sarah loves kids and is available
for babysitting. She also will water
plants, bring in mail when you're away,
or run errands in town for you.
Ginny
Capellupo, 16
Gard Avenue Nika Clark, 14
[phone] (home)
Howe Place
[phone] (cell: texting is
[phone]
preferred rather than voice mail)
Nika says, “Jobs I am willing to do include dog

Ginny is available only on weekends for walking, pet sitting, babysitting, household chores,
watering/yard care, babysitting, and tutoring for younger kids (I am a straight A
collecting mail, dog walking, and being student). I live in Armour Villa and can come over
a mother’s helper. For other available for an interview.”
times, please text or call.
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